Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says 'we may respond differently to Finland if necessary' about Helsinki's bid to join NATO but warns that 'Finland should not make the same mistake' as Sweden
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gathers with youth as he attends a programme in Türkiye's Bilecik on January 29, 2023. Referring to Sweden and Finland's bids to join NATO being questioned by Türkiye, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Ankara may respond "differently" to Helsinki which would "shock" Stockholm.
"We may respond differently to Finland if necessary. Sweden would be shocked when we respond differently to Finland. But Finland should not make the same mistake," Erdogan said at a meeting with the youth in the country's Bilecik province. Ankara gave a list of 120 people to Sweden for extradition to Türkiye, Erdogan said, adding: "You need to extradite these terrorists so that you can enter NATO." Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO last May, abandoning decades of military non-alignment, a decision spurred by Russia's military action against Ukraine, which started on February 24, 2022. But Türkiye – a NATO member for more than 70 years – voiced objections, accusing the two countries of tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups including the PKK and the Fetullah Terrorist Organization , the group behind the July 15, 2016 coup attempt in Türkiye. Last June, Türkiye and the two Nordic countries signed a memorandum at a NATO summit to address Ankara's legitimate security concerns, paving the way for their eventual membership in the alliance. In the memorandum, Sweden and Finland agreed not to provide support to the PKK/YPG/PYD and FETO, to prevent all activities of the terror groups, the extradition of terror suspects, to introduce new legislation to punish terrorist crimes, and not to implement national arms embargoes among the three countries.'Quran burning shows how ignoble they are' On the burning of a copy of the Quran in Sweden, Erdogan said: "Did they wipe out Islam by burning our Quran? They just showed how ignoble they are. Denmark did the same." On Friday, Swedish-Danish politician Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the far-right Stram Kurs Party, burned a copy of the Quran in front of a mosque in Denmark. The anti-Muslim act came days after the far-right leader burned a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Sweden, during a police-approved protest. He also announced he would burn the holy book of the Muslims every Friday until Sweden is included in the NATO alliance. Freedom of expression is a fundamental part of democracy. But what is legal is not necessarily appropriate. Burning books that are holy to many is a deeply disrespectful act. I want to express my sympathy for all Muslims who are offended by what has happened in Stockholm today.Global condemnations have poured in with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson condemning Paludan's actions as "deeply disrespectful." The desecration of the Quran prompted strong protests in the Muslim world, with Türkiye calling Paludan an "Islam-hating charlatan" and strongly condemned the permission given by the authorities for the provocative act which it said, "clearly constitutes a hate crime."
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Opinion | Ukraine Belongs in NATOFrom WSJopinion: Bringing Ukraine into NATO is as much in our own strategic interest as it is our moral duty, writes BHL
Read more »
Far-right politician burns copies of Quran again in DenmarkRasmus Paludan, known for his anti-Islam extremism, says he would burn the Quran every Friday until Sweden is included in the NATO alliance.
Read more »
Sorry, Turkey is staying in NATOTurkey is the red-headed step-child of NATO. With a history of military coups, a penchant for internal crackdowns on dissent, and a big nationalist streak, the Mediterranean power's internal politics have always been complicated. This is certainly the case with current President Recep Tayyip…
Read more »
Sweden tells citizens to avoid crowds in Turkey after Koran burningSweden's foreign ministry on Saturday warned Swedes in Turkey to avoid crowds and demonstrations following protests there over the burning of the Koran by a far-right politician in Stockholm last week.
Read more »
Finnish, Swedish FMs: NATO membership process hasn't stoppedHELSINKI (AP) — The foreign ministers of Sweden and Finland reiterated in separate interviews published Saturday that the process for the two Nordic nations to join NATO is continuing despite Turkey's president saying Sweden shouldn’t expect his country to approve its membership.
Read more »
Sweden's share of PKK terror funding larger than Finland's: NATO negotiator'Unlike Finland, we have a larger share of funding for the PKK from Sweden,' Stockholm's top NATO negotiator Oscar Stenstrom tells state-owned Sveriges Radio
Read more »